Best Big Cities in South Carolina (Columbia, Charleston: real estate, hotel, transfer)

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by anonymous

lovethecarolinas, the original poster said "Big city". If you think Rock Hill is a city, then that's fine. I don't think it is. I think it's a town. I also don't think Charleston or Columbia or Greenville are big cities. I also don't consider Tega Cay a city, whether they say "City of Tega Cay" or not.

There are definitely differences between "City" and "Town". Those are not interchangable words. If you re-read my post, I clearly state that a settlement can call themselves a "City". I personally find that misleading when taken in context of the OP's question.

I think it's worthwhile to let the poster know that if he/she is looking for a big city, he/she will not find it in SC. You even asked yourself, "What constitutes big?", so I went with what most people would consider a valid authority - the U.S. Census.

So what exactly are you disputing? Different people have different definitions, and I was trying to be as clear as possible.

I thought a "city" was the proper term for a place that has:
a. police dept
b. fire dept
c. mayor/city council

Those types of issues.

I live across the street from Tega Cay, they can call the police, me? I'm in the same county but I'm in "unincorporated" area, and I have to call York County Sheriff.

I'm confused City Town Village or whatever, Tega Cay is really beautiful, but albeit very small and a 15 minute scoot to Charlotte NC. Maybe the OP would like it ? Maybe not.

[Mrs. P]

well now there I go again being confused As far as international flavor, does not Charleston have a port? or is it not really in the actual city of Charleston? Is there not ships from all over the world making call there? Both import and export? That's pretty international to me, seeings I work for a huge steamship line that calls there.

I don't recall Greenville having a port. So actually I think there's way more international business going on in Charleston than the average Joe may know about. Not arguing mind you whether it's less or more than Greenville, but just bringing that up for another point.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by Columbiadata

Now if we could just work on opening your mind toward the Midlands (Columbia).

They are jealous of Columbia and obviously feel threatened by our fair city - the largest city in South Carolina, the center of government and education in our state and home to the only national park in South Carolina.

[g-man430]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

They are jealous of Columbia and obviously feel threatened by our fair city - the largest city in South Carolina, the center of government and education in our state and home to the only national park in South Carolina.

Yes, I am jealous of a city that has the confederate flag hanging on a pole in their downtown. I could care less whether Columbia has a national park or not. I like the state parks in the upstate region more myself. I don't see how being the home of state government can be a good thing. Our state government sucks. The only reason it is the largest city in the state is because of how many square miles the city is. Let's make Greenville's city limits the same number of square miles as Columbia and see which one is larger. Just remember that Columbia city leaders visited Greenville a few months ago and were jealous of how nice our downtown was: http://www.columbiabusinessreport.co...elopment?rss=0 Oh and how is Columbia the center of education in our state when Clemson is ranked higher by US News? Columbia doesn't even have a Costco. Even Spartanburg has one.

-See what happens when we debate? Charleston and Greenville all gang up on Columbia.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by g-man430

Yes, I am jealous of a city that has the confederate flag hanging on a pole in their downtown. I could care less whether Columbia has a national park or not. I like the state parks in the upstate region more myself. I don't see how being the home of state government can be a good thing. Our state government sucks. The only reason it is the largest city in the state is because of how many square miles the city is. Let's make Greenville's city limits the same number of square miles as Columbia and see which one is larger. Just remember that Columbia city leaders visited Greenville a few months ago and were jealous of how nice our downtown was: Columbia Regional Business Report | Columbia, SC Oh and how is Columbia the center of education in our state when Clemson is ranked higher by US News? Columbia doesn't even have a Costco. Even Spartanburg has one.

-See what happens when we debate? Charleston and Greenville all gang up on Columbia.

You and I both know that flag was put their by the state legislature and it has nothing to do with the city. In fact the City of Columbia sued the state to have it removed a number of years ago.

USC has a medical school and a law school - what professional programs does Clemson have? USC is, by far, the most comprehensive university in the state and also the largest, by far. And don't forget that our Inernational Business graduate program has been either number one or number 2 in the country every year for the past 25.

[g-man430]

I told you it's not a good thing being home of the state legislature. If what you said about USC is true then why is Clemson ranked in the top 25 in the nation in terms of public universities by US News and USC isn't? Clemson is one of the top engineering and architectural schools in the country. The proof is in the pudding: http://www.clemson.edu/usnewsrankings/index.html

See how much fun debating is? No matter what we say, we both lose.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

They are jealous of Columbia and obviously feel threatened by our fair city - the largest city in South Carolina, the center of government and education in our state and home to the only national park in South Carolina.

I think Columbia has some good things going for it. They are:

-Excellent interstate access (I-26, I-20, I-77)
-Decent proximity to both the mountains of the Upstate and the beaches of the Lowcountry and Grand Strand
-Well-designed street grid in the CBD
-Nice skyline
-Vista
-Decent shopping in the 'burbs with Harbison Blvd. area as well as Village at Sandhills
-The University of South Carolina contributes a youthful energy to downtown areas

These are good building blocks for the city. I have spent considerable time there over the last few years, and have not been disappointed. With that said, there has always been something missing in Columbia - at least for me. I do not see a progressive attitude there. I do not sense much city pride there. The people who are loyal to the University of South Carolina seem to like Columbia, but those who are not affiliated with USC tend to be indifferent to Columbia. Maybe that is because USC dominates the scene there so much. For me, stuff like Five Points is not a selling point. It's mostly trashy and low class bars and restaurants geared toward college students.

Having the state government located in Columbia benefits the city, for sure. It adds a stable population of workers most of the year, and helps fill office buildings and hotel rooms. It also adds a sterile feeling to some of the CBD, especially when state government is not in session. Downtown Columbia (Main Street area especially) does not offer much in the way of dining or nightlife. I know that the city is working on this, but it has a long way to go.

Although the Confederate flag is not there because of the City of Columbia, it is difficult for visitors to separate the two when they walk or drive through the urban core and see the Confederate flag so prominently displayed on the state house grounds. After all, if you are going to boast about being the state capital, you must also accept the bad that goes along with it (Confederate flag, sometimes unprogressive state government, etc.). You can't brag about the good parts and discard the rest.

Columbia seems to leave an impression on visitors as being dominated by government and the University of South Carolina. For most, that is not a positive. The city does not project cleanliness, progressiveness, or refinement. There is something detached about it, and that is the opposite of what most people feel when they are in Charleston or Greenville. In both Charleston and Greenville, people see refinement, nice restaurants, luxury hotels, etc. That's not to say that Columbia does not have any of those things, because they do, but they do not stand out in Columbia like they do in the other two.

Again, Columbia has some good things going for it and should continue to build on those. If it continues to view itself as a competitor of Greenville and Charleston, however, I fear that it will continue to fight a losing battle. It's just not comparable. There's no jealousy of Columbia from most around the state - especially those in Greenville and Charleston.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

They are jealous of Columbia and obviously feel threatened by our fair city - the largest city in South Carolina, the center of government and education in our state and home to the only national park in South Carolina.

Not sure whom "they" is referring to, but I for one am certainly not jealous of Columbia in any way, nor do I feel "threatened" by your "fair" city. "Largest" rarely automatically equates to "best" in my book.

I would not be proud to live in the city where such a state government as South Carolina's is centered.

Like state government, naturally state education would be centered in the capital city, but that does not equate to better education there. For college, I would not hesitate to pay more money and go to Furman University anyday if seeking the best education available in the state. If money is an issue, Clemson University ranks much higher on the national list of colleges/universities with best return on investment (ROI), even higher than some Ivy League schools. If student happiness is important, Clemson ranks at or near the very top nationally for student satisfaction.

Congaree National Park, while great to have in this state, does not have anything to do with the city of Columbia, nor is it extremely spectacular in my opinion. For natural beauty that will "knock your socks off," try visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sometime. In my opinion, the regions in this state with more naturally attractive geography are the Upstate (mountains and foothills) and Coastal/Lowcountry (beaches and ocean).

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

They are jealous of Columbia and obviously feel threatened by our fair city - the largest city in South Carolina, the center of government and education in our state and home to the only national park in South Carolina.

Yep, I chose to move to South Carolina. After spending two weeks in each of the three cities, Charleston, Columbia and Greenville to determine where to base my region for my company, I chose Greenville so I could be jealous of Columbia. LMAO.
If Columbia had been the better city, I would have simply chosen Columbia. Sorry, no jealousy here, but keep that fantasy alive if it makes you feel better.

[motonenterprises]

Greenville is better than Columbia. I had a choice to move to either from Greenwood and chose Greenville because it seemed to have more and was cleaner feeling.